Can I host a poker tournament?

Free to enter, free to play poker tournaments in public places, where the venue pays the tournament operator a fee for each player who participates in the tournament, are not considered to be unlawful games.

However, there are reports of venues pushing the boundaries of the 'free' policy by requiring players to purchase a drink or by providing an incentive in the form of extra chips to players who purchase a drink. Where there is a prize to be won as a result of playing, then any requirement for players to outlay their own money as a condition of play or to obtain an advantage may arguably constitute gambling.

A game of poker between friends at a private dwelling where the total amount bet on each game is received by the player with the winning hand and where players are not charged a fee to play is not an unlawful game.